Clyde infant/mother recovering from July 4th fireworks accident

CLYDE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Clyde mother, Kadynce Knowles, and her 9-month-old daughter, Rose, are recovering at home this week after a Fourth of July fireworks accident landed them in a Lubbock burn unit. Mother and daughter suffered severe burns and injury when a stray firework tipped over, shot 20-30 feet towards them, and exploded in Knowles’ lap. While they have been released from the hospital, the road to physical and mental recovery is a long one, and she says they’ll need all the help they can get.

“I’ve learned that you have to push yourself even when it hurts, especially for my daughter. Just appreciate what you have when you have it because this is rough,” said Knowles.

The holiday gathering was taking place with a private group within city limits, so Knowles said no large fireworks were being set off. It was a smaller artillery shell-type firework that tipped over and struck Knowles in the chest while she was holding Rose in her hands. The explosion set both of them ablaze.

“When I realized she was on fire, I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t realize I was also on fire. I have burns all over my hands because I was grabbing her pajamas. Her pajamas are polyester, and the fire was just running, just burning them… They had to put my baby out in the pool. They had to dip her in the pool to put her out,” Knowles recalled.

Once Rose’s safety was secured for the moment, Knowles and her family finally began to notice her own injuries, too. She was curled up into a ball on the ground and began screaming from her burns. Both of them were transported to Hendrick Medical Center and thereafter transferred to the University Medical Center Burn Unit in Lubbock due to the severity of their injuries.

Knowles sustained first to third-degree burns along her hands, arms, and torso, and she had to retrain her legs to walking strength. Rose suffered burns to her torso and limbs as well as a deep gash on her leg from the explosion.

Knowles shared she doesn’t remember much of the night after the incident, but once she awoke in the Lubbock Burn Unit, she quickly noticed that she and Rose were not in the same room.

“All I did was ask about her how’s my baby, where’s my baby?” said Knowles.

Being unable to walk of her own accord at that time, Knowles said that the separation from her baby was the most unbearable aspect. She said she had many nightmares during this time. However, her will to go and see Rose is what motivated her to recover so quickly.

“I was going down there in a wheelchair before I could fully walk, and she’s laughing and smiling, she stands up. She pulls up on her crib, and that was a lot of motivation. If she could do it, I could do it,” Knowles said.

They were discharged from the hospital on Friday, July 11. Knowles’ husband is helping take care of them during recovery. However, he is also the sole breadwinner and will have to go to bring in money to fund their recovery. If you would like to contribute to their journey, you can send a financial donation to their GoFundMe page.